Aretha Franklin

The history of African American music has been characterized by cross-pollination among various forms. Country blues, urban blues, New Orleans Jazz, Bebop, big-band jazz, and rhythm and blues, have all influenced each other profoundly. These influences flowed back and forth among the various forms. But, black gospel music had only a very limited effect on popular styles, until a few church-trained artists, such as Sam Cooke and Ray Charles, began to incorporate gospel styling into their popular work. The result of these efforts is usually described as "soul music," an amalgam of blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel voices. But, if Ray Charles was one of the "originators" of soul music, "Aretha Franklin reshaped it," by bringing even more of her gospel background to bear on secular love songs (Wade and Picardie 27). By combining popular elements with her stunning voice, her great musicianship, and the feeling for a song that she learned in church,

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with his label, RCA. Her father had no objection to this direction for Aretha's career. In fact, as Jerry Wexler noted, Franklin himself "lived the pop life to the hilt," and when members of his congregation would deplore his daughter's secular music, "the Reverend set them straight in a hurry" (Wexler and Ritz 206). When she was 18, Franklin began working in clubs, and was signed to Columbia Records by the legendary jazz and pop producer, John Hammond. Franklin recorded for the label from 1960 to 1966. But, the company never managed to find a popular style that would make the most of her unusually strong voice and her gospel roots. At first, Hammond "guided her in the direction of classic jazz and blues singers such as Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday" (Helander 200). But she never achieved more than modest success at Columbia. Franklin placed three singles in the top ten of the Rhythm and Blues sales charts in 1960 and 1961 and had another hit, "Rock-a-bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" (1961), that sold well enough to reach 37 on the pop sales charts. Franklin recorded some good songs, and a great deal of mediocre material, at Columbia, where she released 10 albums in six years. But, as Hammond later admitted, "Colum
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Approximate Word count = 1798
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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